


Dangerous Distractions

by WhenTheCanonShootsOnlyBlanks



Category: Rizzoli & Isles
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, F/F
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-10-21
Updated: 2015-01-03
Packaged: 2018-02-22 02:08:53
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 6,910
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2490566
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/WhenTheCanonShootsOnlyBlanks/pseuds/WhenTheCanonShootsOnlyBlanks
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>College AU - Jane gets accepted into BCU on a field hockey scholarship. Where she meets the beautiful captain of the fencing team under less than ideal circumstances. Will the two be able to work out their feelings for each other before it is too late?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. The Black Tank Top of Doom

**Author's Note:**

> Written because of a Tumblr prompt from otpprompts.
> 
> I had an idea an decided it was time to write some Rizzles AU. Hope you like it. I have the next chapter planned but not written, it will be up asap.
> 
> reviews are sincerely appreciated. So is constructive criticism. Tell me what you like and don't like, what you want to see and what would turn you down from this fic forever.
> 
> There is no beta so all mistakes are mine, and I hate proofreading so there will be a lot.

'Come on Jane!' Sarah whined  while pounding on the bathroom door.  'We are going to be late and I don't want to run 20 laps in this heat!'

'Jeez, relax. I'm coming.' Jane said, pulling her unruly, dark curls into a ponytail. She barreled past Sarah, and grabbed her bag and stick from her bed.

'You coming?' She asked innocently.

Sarah shot her a dirty look. 'I hate you.'

'You could have just gone without me, you know.'

'And face Cindy alone? I would rather die from heatstroke than let that stuck-up twat make fun of my accent .' 

'Your accent  is lovely.' Jane said, fondly ruffling Sarah short, red hair.

'Hands off, Rizzoli.' Sarah said, trying to evade Jane's hands.  'Or I'll trip you and make you late.'

Laughing, they made their way towards the field, passing other students with pick-nick blankets and Frisbees , trying to enjoy  the warm summer afternoon. Escaping from their stuffy dorm rooms  to cool off in the pleasant breeze. 

'Will you look at that.' Sarah said once they reached the field. 'The AC in the gymnasium must be broken again. The fencing team is moving their stuff outside.' 

Jane looked over to where Sarah was pointing and saw a few people in white suits carry out a mat and a couple of swords.

'They must be dying inside those suits.' Jane snickered. 'Good thing they don't actually do any real working out.'

'Look at them, with their flimsy swords. All they do is poke each other in the stomach. Anyone could to that .' Sara said, trying to poke Jane with her hockey  stick. 

Jane parried and tried to nail Sarah in the gut. 

'Rizzoli! Garcia! Stop goofing around and get your asses over here!' Their coach yelled. 'You are late! Twenty laps! Start running!'

'I hate you... ' Sarah grumbled as she dropped her stuff and started running.   
'All your fault, you started it.' Jane muttered back, as she too started her first lap.

* * *

 

5 laps later the fencing team had finally finished setting up. How it could take this  long to roll out a mat was beyond Jane. 

The next time she ran past them, they had finally started their practice. Jane had to agree with Sarah; the attacks and blocks looked little impressive. Most of the movements looked stiff and the blocks were slow. She was certain her team could defeat them easily. That was until the blonde stepped unto the mat. 

She took one of the swords, held it out in front of her as if testing the balance, apparently liking the feel of it, she took a couple of experimental jabs at the air. Her movements were fast and fluid. As if she had been born holding a sword. Not awkward like the rest of her team members.

Jane was actually dis appointed  when she had to turn her back to the blonde to finish her lap. She ran the remainder of the lap at top speed and slowed down again when the fencing team came into view. 

She was just in time to see the blonde bow to her opponent and start the fight. She was on a whole other level entirely. Her sword moved faster than Jane could follow, and before she was at the end of the stretch the blonde had defeated her opponent. She took of her helmet and shook the guy's hand, who looked just as much in awe of her as Jane had. 

Jane couldn't keep her eyes of the blonde, as she gracefully took of her white jacket and took a sip of water. Her eyes met Jane's, who looked away in shame at being caught staring. She increased her pace and turned her back to the blonde, trying to take her mind off the black tank top said blonde was wearing.

'What are you thinking about?' Sarah asked, panting from the exertion. 

' Mmh ? What?' Jane asked, being pulled from her thoughts. 

'You. What are you thinking about? You just sprinted an entire lap.'

'I did? I was thinking about the fencing team. They sort of suck. Except that blonde in the black tank top.'

' Ahh , thinking about blondes in tank tops,  are we?'

'No not like that you  perv .' Jane said, giving Sarah a shove.  'She's just way better than the rest. She moves very fluidly.'

'Is that how they call it here?'

'Sarah, just don't. Shut up and run.'

Sarah ran off laughing, making kissy faces at Jane, who rolled her eyes and ignored her.

While finishing up her last few laps, Jane kept glancing at the blonde. She had moved on from one on one fights, to explaining some blocking techniques. Showing off her arm muscles in the progress. 

Jane was so distracted by the flexing of those muscles, that she didn't hear her teammates yelling her name. Once she caught on , she turned to see what all the fuss was about, just in time to see a hockey ball coming straight for her head. And with a sickening thud Jane's whole world went black.

* * *

Jane heard someone yell something about icepacks, but it sounded strange, like she was underwater. Jane slowly opened her eyes, trying to get a peek at whoever was yelling. But her vision was blurry  and didn't face in front of hers didn't seem familiar . 

'She's coming around.' The voice said. 

Jane blinked a few times to clear the picture. Slowly the  face came into focus, a face with concerned looking green eyes, framed by blond curls.

'Hey,' The face said, 'What's your name?'

Jane groaned, suddenly becoming aware of the pounding in her head. 

'Ugh, Jane.' She managed to get out.

'Could you tell me your last name Jane?' The face asked.

'Rizzoli, Jane Rizzoli.' She said, trying to sit up, but the blonde gently extended her arms to push her down again, the same arms that had gotten her into this mess in the first place.

'Just stay down for a moment, okay Jane? You got hit in the head pretty hard. Can you remember what happened?'

'Ugh,' Jane groaned, the pounding in her head becoming worse by the second. 'Ball, to the face. Was, distracted I guess. My head feels like it is going to split apart.'

The blonde smiled softly. 'Very good Jane, but your head is not splitting apart, the skin isn't even broken. But the headache is to be expected. You have a small to mild concussion. This icepack should help keep the swelling down.' She said, holding up the pack. 'This may feel a little cold.' She said as she slowly placed the icepack on the large bump on Jane's head.

As soon as the ice touched her skin, Jane let out a loud hiss.    
'A little cold?' 

'Well, the low temperature narrows the blood vessels below the skin, reducing blood flow and inhibiting the deposit of fluids beneath the skin, which causes the swelling so....' She trailed off, seeing the confused look on Jane's face. 

'So cold is good right?' Jane added, feeling the awkwardness that suddenly surrounded the blonde.

'Yes,' the blonde said, smile returning. 'Now if you would please follow my finger.' She held up her index  finger, slowly moving it from left to right. 

Jane dutifully followed the finger until the blonde was satisfied and dropped the digit.

'If you're ready, you can try to sit up now. You might feel a little dizzy and nauseous, so take it slowly.'

Jane slowly sat up and tried to ignore the queasiness in her stomach. 

'Is this okay?' The blonde asked, seeing the color leave Jane's face. 'Jane?' She asked, a concerned tone to her voice.

'Yeah, I am fine, just a little queasy. But it's gone now. Can I get up?'

'Only if the nausea  is completely gone. You should take it slow.' She looked Jane sternly in the eye.

'I am okay now, just help me up.' She said, holding out her hand for the blonde to take .

Slowly she made her way up to a standing position, but almost as soon as she was completely upright, she began to wobble, and the edges of her vision turned black. She trust out her arms to grab the blonde's shoulders to steady herself. Only she misjudges the height and ended up on her chest instead. 

They stood like that for a view seconds before Jane's dizzy spell wore off enough to realize exactly where her hands where resting. 

'I am so sorry. ' She whispered, while dropping her hands to her side. Immediately starting to wobble again.

'Don't be.' The blonde whispered back, reaching for Jane's shoulders to steady her. 

'I'm going to take her to the nurse's office, she most likely has a mild concussion and should be checked out by someone with more medical experience than a first-year student. ' She said to the crowd that had accumulated around  them. Her coach nodded, clearing a path for them. 

Sarah shot Jane a concerned look and Jane nodded to let her know she was okay.

The blonde had slung Jane's arm around her shoulder to steady her. So they walked together into the building to find the nurse. The nurse told them to wait in the reception area, while she finished up with another student.

'So...' Jane began. 'What's your name?' She finished  awkwardly.

The blonde laughed, 'It's Maura, Maura Isles.' 


	2. An Angry Mistake

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So sorry it took so long. I am notoriously incapable of finishing what I start. And also this chapter was giving me a headache because at first Jane was really OOC, and I couldn't find a way to fix it. But I think I managed. So sorry if this chapter is horrible. The next one will be more fun, promise. But it won't be up for a while, because of exams.
> 
> Please let me know what you think, reviews are pretty good motivators!

There was a soft knock on the door. 

'Jane?' Sarah asked softly, poking her head around. 'You in  t here?'

'Ugh.' Jane groaned. 'Yes.'

'Okay,' Sarah whispered 'How are you feeling?' 

'How do you think I am feeling? I tried to head a hockey ball. My head feels like it's splitting apart.'

Sarah laughed softly. 'I remember a certain blonde telling you, your head wasn't splitting apart, but a headache was to be expected.'

'Why am I even friends with you? ' Jane  grumbled , rolling over to get  away from Sarah.

'Because you love me.' Sarah said, carefully sitting down next to Jane. 'So what  happened  to black tank?'

'Don't call her that. Her name is Maura. And she dropped me off here after the nurse confirmed her diagnosis.'

'What did she say to you?'

'That I have a mild concussion and should take it easy for at least a week. So no practice for me.  Jeeh .'

'Not the nurse,  Maura.  She was all over you. Well, not as much as you were all over her.' Sarah said, motioning to her own breasts.

'No, don't you dare go there. I just lost my balance, that's all. I tried to grab her shoulders but misjudged to distance.'

'Sure you did. And you weren't  at all  distracted by Maura while running laps. You slowed down every time she came into view and sped up as your back was turned. You've got it bad, love.'

'I wasn't staring at Maura! I was watching the fencing team, of which Maura is a part. But I wasn't focused on her, specifically.'

'That concussion must have shaken you up more than you realized. Because you were outright staring at her.'

'She is easily the best member of her team. I was admiring her technique. And now shush, my head hurts.'  Jane said, closing her eyes again.

'Fine, I won't tell anyone about your little crush.'

'I do not have a crush on Maura Isles.'

'If you say so.' Sarah sighed.

* * *

 

Over the next couple of days the head splitting headache slowly became a dull throb, and thanks to Maura's icepack the swelling was barely noticeable. The large bruise on her head was a dead giveaway, though.

 She kept wandering around the halls hoping to catch a glimpse of Maura. She might have told Sarah that she didn't have a crush on the honey blonde, and she was sure she didn't have a crush. Jane Rizzoli didn't have crushes,  but she couldn't get her out of her head. 

The rest of the week passed fairly uneventful. Jane's headaches disappeared and the bruise turned a yellowish  green. And she told her coach she could play S aturday's game. But the coach prohibited it. So instead her team lost by a whopping 10 - 2\. And Jane spend the rest of the weekend pissed off in her dorm room.

* * *

On Monday, the first day she was allowed back at training, she caught her first glimpse of Maura. Apparently the AC took longer to fix than her head, because once again the fencing team was setting up their equipment next to the field. 

When Jane spotted Maura, her face lit up, entirely against her will, and she struggled to get it under control as Maura looked  over and waved at her shyly.

' Crap ,' Jane grumbled to herself 'Why does she have to be so damn cute?'

She waved back, hoping that was the end of her exchange with Maura, but no such luck. Maura had made her way over to the fence and there was no other thing  for Jane to do but meet the blonde halfway.

'How is your head feeling, Jane? The swellings seems to have gone, and the  hematoma  is in its final stage before disappearing.' 

'The what?'

'The bruise, on your forehead.' Maura explained , pointing at the spot in question. 

'Right, well I'm fine. No more headaches and the swelling is almost gone. Thanks to you really.' 

'No need to thank me, just doing my job. Well, the job I am studying for anyway. I'm studying medicine.'

'Yeah, I figured. So you practicing outside again?' Jane said, nodding at the fencing equipment.

'Yes, the temperature outside is more pleasant. The gymnasium is simply too hot this time of the year.'

'Yeah, I'll leave you to play with your swords  then. My training is about to start.' She said as she  started to walk away and  join her teammates.  But she was stopped by Maura's voice.

'They are not swords, Jane.'  The blonde  said laughingly. 'They are called blades and there are three different kinds. The ones we use are called foils. And then you have the sabers, which are basically... ' She trailed off again, as if thinking that no one was actually interested in what she was saying.   'Never mind, you enjoy your practic e.'

'Yeah, you too Maura.' Jane said, smiling softly at the blonde. Who shyly smiled back.

Jane turned around to join her teammates at center field, when her eyes caught Sarah's. Who was looking at her with one eyebrow raised.

'I thought you said you didn't like her.'

'I don't.' Jane sighed 'I just wanted to thank her. That's all.'

'Just don't stare at her again all training, we can't lose another game. And if you get hit in the head again because you are distracted, we will lose again.'

'Maura, doesn't distract me.' Jane said stoicall y, trying to kid herself into thinking it was true.

During the training she did her best to avoid looking at Maura, but she just couldn't help herself. The blonde's movements caught her eyes every time and it annoyed her immensely that she couldn't concentrate on the training. They had a very important game that week, and Jane wasn't about to cause her team another loss.

She wasn't the only one annoyed by her  blatant staring at the captain of the fencing team. Her other teammates, but mostly Cindy, had taken notice as well. 

'Hey Rizzoli.' Cindy yelled. 'Quit staring at the nerd and start scoring! You already cost us a game!'

Jane cursed under her breath. It must be worse than she thought if even Cindy had started noticing it. And she didn't want it to be worse. She hadn't ever been attracted to girls before, so why now? When she finally got her life on track. There was only one solution; Maura had to go.

With that thought on her mind, s he got through the rest of the training without another glance at the fencing team . She was proud of herself for that, for not thinking about Maura. But then the object in question came over. Looking all cute and glowing from working out. 

_'No, Jane. You can't like her.'_ She thought to herself. ' _She's a girl. You don't like girls. You're not gay. You need to get rid off her.'_ And so she just  scowled and kept walking.

When Maura saw Jane, her smile faltered. The look the brunette wa s giving her was far from friendly. 

'Are alright Jane? You have tightened your  procerus  muscle, is your headache back?'

'I have tightened my what?' Jane snarled. 'Speak English woman.'

Maura looked taken aback by her reaction, but didn't back away.

'The muscle between your eyebrows, usually tightened in anger or in pain.'

'Yeah, my headache is back. Because all the clanking from those swords you use. It's getting on my nerves.'

'Foils.' Maura added.

'Who cares what they are called? It's just a stupid game! Not a real sport, anyone could do it.' Jane all but screamed at the blonde.

Instead of backing away like Jane expected Maura to, the blonde seemed to be angered by her remark.

'You know what Jane. I did nothing to deserve this outburst. I can understand that you are in pain, but you have no right to belittle my sport in front of me. It took years of dedicated practice to get where I am now. And just because fencing doesn't involve the same aggression you use for your hockey, doesn’t mean that it isn't a real sport.'

'What are you even talking about? Literally everyone could pick up one of your little foils and poke it at someone's stomach. You don't have to be an expert. I bet I could do it.' 

'Care to test that hypothesis, Jane? What about a dual? Tomorrow morning, you and me. If you are up to it of course.'

'Yeah, sure. This isn't the three musketeers but I'll dual you. Just to show you that fencing isn't a real sport. I'll see you here, tomorrow morning at eight. You bring your foils.'

'Fine. I'll be there.' Maura barked, before storming of towards the dorms.

And the only think going through Jane's mind was: I am so fucked.


	3. A Duel at Dawn

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi *waves sheepishly*  
> So it has been a while... I am so sorry I didn't update this sooner, but I rewrote this chapter like eleven times and I just wasn't happy with the fic as a whole. But thanks to a kind comment (you know who you are) I decided to give it another try, so here is chapter 3. I hope to have the next chapter up before long. I won't make any promises because I'll just break them.
> 
> I hope you like the chapter, you've waited long enough for it!
> 
> Please comment, it keeps me writing!

That thought was still going through her head when she nearly kicked her door of its hinges. She kicked her bag in the corner and threw herself face-first on the bed and proceeded to scream loudly into her pillow. Hoping to would ease some of her frustrations: it didn’t.

With every passing minute, she felt more like an idiot and major jerk. She had insulted the one person who had been nothing but kind to her. All because she couldn't handle her own feelings.

And now she had agreed to a duel. Why had she done that? She knew she couldn't possibly defeat Maura. The blonde was too good, she would completely obliterate Jane, and never speak to her again.

It was the second part that bothered Jane the most. Normally, she would rather die than do something that could potentially embarrass her. But now, she didn’t care that she would get her ass handed to her by Maura. But the fact that the blonde would most certainly never speak to her again made Jane want to run and hide.  

She had told herself she didn't like Maura, she told others she didn't like Maura. But deep down, she knew that that was all a lie. She _did_ like the other girl, more than she had ever liked anyone.

And it was bothering her. She didn’t _like_ girls. She _couldn’t_ like girls. Her parents would disown her. Her mother had been so happy when she started dating Casey in junior year of High School. And more heartbroken than Jane when they had decided to call it quits.

Her Catholic parents would never forgive her if she came home with a girlfriend, even one as beautiful and accomplished as Maura.

´ _Shit, did I really just imagine Maura as my girlfriend?’_ Jane thought. When Jane heard the door open and slam shut a little later, she tried to bury herself even deeper into her mattress, but it wouldn’t budge.

'What the hell was that Rizzoli?' Sarah yelled. 'It was like I didn't even know you back there!'

Jane's only response was to groan something inaudible into her pillow.

'Sorry?' Sarah asked loudly 'I couldn't hear that.'

Jane slowly lifted her head from the pillow and looked her friend in the eye. ‘I don’t know what happened.’ She whispered.

'You don’t know what happened? Let me recap: You have been going on for a week about how great Maura is and how awesome she is at fencing, and then you two finally see each other again. And you make her so angry at you she challenges you to a duel? How did that even happen?'

'I know. I mean I don't know. I am just.... Ugh.' She pushed her face back into the pillow again.

'What is going on Jane?' Sarah asked, no longer yelling, slowly setting herself down next to Jane. 'Why are you behaving like an idiot?'

'Because I think I might like her.’ Jane said quietly, trying to hold back her tears.

‘You mean you _like her_ like her?’

The tears were freely flowing now, so Jane just nodded.

'So then why did you say all those things to her?'

Jane looked back at her friend. Eyes full of pain and tears.

'Because I can’t like her.' Jane sobbed trying to wipe away her tears. 'I have never liked girls before. And I am not gay. I can’t be gay. My parents…'  The rest of the sentence was lost in loud sobs.

'Ssh, it's okay. It's okay.' Sarah said, stroking her hair.

'No it's not okay.' Jane hiccupped 'And now she hates me.'

'She doesn't hate you.'

'Yes, she does. Even I hate me. I told her fencing wasn't a real sport.'

'I know, I heard. But want to know the good news? While you were busy ignoring her today. She couldn't keep her eyes of you either. Jane, she likes you too. You can fix this.'

'I don't think I can.'

'Of course you can! You go to the duel tomorrow and apologize, get completely obliterated in the duel, apologize some more. And then tell her what you really think of her’

‘Even if she accepts my apology, my parents will disown me.’ Jane said softly.

‘Screw them. Can’t you see how miserable this makes you? And can’t you imagine how happy making up with Maura will make you? You should do what makes _you_ happy, not what pleases your parents. You are your own person Jane, and liking girls doesn’t make you a lesser one.’

Jane wiped away her tears, sitting up and pulling Sarah in for a hug. ‘You are a great friend.’ She whispered.

‘I’ll be here for you, no matter what happens with Maura or your parents. And they might surprise you. They look like people who would just want you to be happy.’

'So you still want to share a room with me?’

‘Why wouldn’t I want to share a room with you? You are amazing and funny and just an incredible person. That you like cute blond girls has nothing to do with our friendship.So now you know I am totally okay your sexuality. Will you stop worrying about that and figure out how to make Maura like you again?'

Jane tried to come up with a plan, but she didn’t get much further then begging the blonde for forgiveness. She was too tired and worn-out from practice and all the emotional drama and soul-searching that followed.

The next morning Sarah had to all but drag Jane towards the field. The brunette kept muttering to herself and turning around.

Before they reached the field, Sarah stopped Jane and put her hands on the brunette's shoulders.

'Okay Jane, you know what to do. Just apologize okay? She is probably still angry but don't let that get to you. Just give her time. She'll turn around and realize how awesome you are.'

She released Jane’s shoulders and pushed her onto the field. Where Maura was waiting for them.

She hadn't noticed Jane and Sarah yet. She was completely absorbed into her practice jabs and parries. Executing them perfectly and with a forcefulness Jane hadn’t thought Maura capable of.

But when Maura noticed Jane, she stilled her movements immediately. Lowering her foil.

'You came.' She said, her voice flat, her face blank of any emotion.

'Maura, I'm so-' but Maura cut her off.

'Don't. Just pick up the foil and we'll get this over with.'

Jane shot Sarah a panicked look, but picked up the blade anyway. The sooner she got this over with, the sooner she could apologize to Maura. And hopefully mend whatever kind of relationship had started a week ago.

She fumbled with the blade, trying to get a grip on it, which felt as natural as Maura made it look. But the weight of the foil just felt awkward and cumbersome in her hand.

Maura, noticing Jane's foolish attempts to hold the blade, decided to take pity on the brunette.

'Hold it like this.' She said, showing Jane how her fingers and thumb were positioned on the hilt.

Jane mimicked the grip and the blade felt a little less awkward, she had no idea why the blonde was helping her, when earlier she had brusquely cut off Jane's attempt to apologize.

'Now get in the starting pose.' The blonde said, the forcefulness back in her voice, but still doing the pose herself so Jane could mimic it.

'Now if your friend would count to three, we can start.'

Sarah, surprised to be included, nodded and started the count. Jane briefly entertained the notion to just do nothing and let Maura win without putting up a fight. But that was just not who she was. Even though she really liked the honey blonde, she couldn't let her win without putting up some kind of fight, how pathetic her attempt may be. Plus Maura would probably take it as an insult and never speak to her again.

But when Sarah reached three, she remembered who she was fighting against. Maura Isles was quick as a viper and as soon as Sarah had spoken the last syllable, Maura's foil was already at Jane's throat.

Jane swallowed, feeling the cool metal against her throat. Neither of them moved. Both utterly surprised by what happened.

Slowly, Jane lowered her blade, dropping it on the ground. The sound startled Maura and broke her out of her trance. The wild look in her eyes quickly replaced by shame. She quickly retracted her blade, eyeing the red mark she had left on Jane’s throat.

'Jane,' She started 'I'm so..' But this time, it was Jane that stopped Maura from apologizing prematurely.

‘No, you don’t have to apologize. I deserved this. I was a complete jerk yesterday. I shouldn’t have said any of that. I didn’t mean it. It is just that… I really like you. And it confused me, because I have never felt that way about a girl before. And it just scared me how much I liked you. So I turned into a mega bitch. And I am sorry for that. Really, incredibly sorry. I acted like a little boy with a crush, which I guess I am. I pushed you and you pushed back. What you did is justified. You don’t have to apologize to me. Just…’ She trailed off.

Maura was staring at her with wide eyes. Her foil still clutched in her hand. She opened her mouth as to speak, but no words came out. So Jane just continued.

‘I understand that this is a stupid reason to say everything that I did yesterday. And I understand that you’ll never want to see me again. But please know I am very sorry. So, uhm, I’ll just leave you and your foils alone, for like ever.’

Jane bent over to pick up the foil, handing it to a still stunned Maura.

When she turned around to leave, but Maura’s voice halted her mid-turn.

‘You called it a foil.’

Jane turned back around, looking Maura in the eyes.   
‘That is what it’s called, right?’ She asked timidly, fearing she had screwed up even worse.

‘Yes, it is called a foil. How do you know that?’ Maura asked.

‘Uhm, I remember you called it that yesterday. That’s what started this all. I don’t like making the same mistake twice.’

‘Neither do I.’ Maura said, her expression easing into something Jane had hoped for; a smile. A tiny one, just the shifting of the corners of her lips. But a smile.

‘So I’ll go now.’ Jane repeated, taking Sarah with her. Leaving a still stunned Maura behind them.

When Jane returned to her dorm room after classes. She found a note shoved under her door. On it, written in neat cursive was a message she had not been expecting:

_I like you too_

_-M._


	4. The Only One in the Room

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I decided to continue this story for a little longer. And look at that! It didn't take me four months to update!
> 
> I hope you like the chapter, and I know things are moving a little fast but I don't really like it when they fight and don't talk to each other. (Even though the beginning of season 3 was pretty damn hilarious.)
> 
> So if there is something you liked or want to see in the next chapter, I am always open to suggestions. And your comments keep me writing!

Jane stared at the little piece of paper in awe. She couldn't believe the note was actually from Maura, of course the note didn't actually _say_ it was from Maura, but there was no one else the note could have come from.

Jane dropped down on her bed, this time not burying her face in the pillows. She stared at the note, wondering what she should do next. If Maura liked her too, in a _more than friends_ way, should Jane ask her on a date? Should they first patch things up properly? She had no idea. Luckily for Jane, Sarah chose that moment to come barging through the door. When she saw Jane lying on the bed again, she stopped dead in her tracks.

‘Oh no, what happened now?’ She asked concernedly.

‘What? Nothing happened, well nothing _bad_ happened. Maura sent me this.’ Jane said, holding up the note for Sarah to see. Examining the note Sarah raised an eyebrow.

‘This is good news, so why are you sulking on your bed again.’  
‘I am not sulking, I am plotting. I don’t know what to do next. Should I go over and talk to her? Should I plan a date? Should I try to be her friend first? Does she even feel the same way for me? I don’t know. Why is this so hard?’

Sarah said down next to Jane, handing her the note back.

‘I think you should definitively talk to her, and maybe try to be her friend first. But I think she’s pretty into you too.  So go and talk with her. Now.’

‘Now? I don’t even know where to find her. I don’t know where her dorm is. If she even lives on campus. I don’t know which classes she takes or what she likes to do outside of them. I know nothing about her!’ Jane yelled desperately.

‘Mmh,’ Sarah mused. ‘That’s not really true. You know she is a med student. But that isn't going to help you find her. So what is?’ They sat in silence for a while, thinking of a way to find Maura Isles. After a while Sarah stood up.

‘I think I know how to find her. Or at least when.’

Jane looked at her quizzically. ‘Explain.’

‘Well, she’s the captain of the fencing team, which means that she has to schedule their time in the gymnasium. Which means she’s on the roster. Which means you can talk to her after her training. So all we need to do is find a copy of the roster for the gymnasium. Easy.’ Sarah said proudly. And she was right, it was deceptively easy to find the only roster for the gymnasium.

Apparently Maura’s fencing team would be training Wednesday afternoon to prepare for their match, which would take place on Saturday at 3 pm.

‘So tomorrow you are going over there and wait for the training to finish, and then you are going to talk to her.’ Sarah said, opening their fridge to get something to drink. ‘So now you can start thinking about things to tell her.’

Jane spent the rest of her evening doing exactly that. And the next morning too. When it was time for Maura’s training to start she still had no idea what to actually say to the blonde. She almost didn’t go, but Sarah had enough from all the nervous pacing her roommate was doing. And pushed her out of the door, telling her not to return with the blonde’s phone number, so the two could just call each other instead of pretending to be Sherlock Holmes and find each other through clues.

_‘Great.’_ Jane thought, silently cursing Sarah for being right. So she finally turned around and slowly made her way towards the gym.

She paused in front of the double doors that lead to the gym. She took a deep breath, opening the door just a tiny bit to take a peek inside. The fencing team was, _thankfully,_ training on the other side of the gymnasium. Leaving Jane free to sneak in and find a spot somewhere on the bleachers.

She had anticipated that there would at least a handful of people watching the practice. Most of the sport teams had at least some fans watching them train: but not the fencing team. Making Jane’s plan to hide out in the bleachers undiscovered practically impossible. But there was nothing she could do about that now, so she quietly made her way up the bleachers. Sticking to the walls she found a place in the back where her presence wouldn't be as obvious.

Thankfully, the blonde hadn’t seen her sneak in, she was sparring with one of her teammates. But it wouldn't take long for the team to figure out that their normally private practice was being observed. When the match was over, Maura had flawlessly beaten her opponent, she took of her mask and finally noticed that the bleachers weren’t as empty as before

When she recognized the figure on the bleachers as Jane she raised her eyebrows in question. Jane gave her an awkward little wave and a small smile appeared on Maura’s face.

During the rest of the training Maura’s eyes would flit to the bleachers, casually checking if Jane was still there. Whenever their eyes met, they’d both smile.

When Maura finally called it a day, Jane was a lot less nervous than before. The little glances Maura kept shooting her, and the little smile that adorned her face, put her at ease, realizing that Maura might actually like her. And that the note wasn’t some stupid prank.

While the other fencers started putting their equipment away, Maura made her way up the bleachers. She looked absolutely beautiful, her blond hair was messy and out of place from the mask and her face was glowing from the work-out.

‘Hello, Jane.’ She said, sitting down next to the brunette, ‘I did not expect you here.’

‘Sorry, was it a private training? I didn’t know. I just wanted to talk to you and this was the only place I knew you’d be. Sorry, I’ll go now.’ Jane said, standing up. But a soft touch on her arm stopped her.

‘Don’t go. I liked that you were here. And no, this is not a private training, but we do not have a lot of people to cheer us on. So in a way, all our trainings and matches are private.’

‘You never have people cheering on you?’ Jane said disbelievingly, sitting back down next to Maura. ‘Never?’

‘Not that I can remember no.’

‘That’s just sad.’

‘A little. Most people aren’t as interested in fencing as in football or basketball, I guess.’

‘Well, they’re wrong. Fencing is awesome, it is way more interesting to watch than some meatheads passing a ball around. Also swords.’ She said, as if that explained everything.

‘Blades.’ Maura corrected her laughingly, like it was a joke between the two of them.

‘Blades’ Jane repeated. ‘So I actually wanted to ask you something. Uhm, I got your note, and I was just curious. Like what does it _mean_?’

Maura smiled. ‘I thought that was pretty clear. This yesterday you told me you liked me and that that was why you acted the way you did. But you didn’t really give me a chance to speak my mind. So I wrote you a note.’

‘It was a pretty short note.’

Maura smiled again. ‘I guess there wasn’t much beside that on my mind, then.’

Now Jane started smiling as well, but it faded quickly. ‘But what about all the mean things I said?’ Jane asked quietly ‘I was a real bitch.’

‘Yes you were. I was angry at first. Even after the dual. But then I started thinking about the things you said yesterday. And I can understand how it would be confusing for someone to suddenly feel so different. So I decided to forgive you your ‘bitchiness’ as you so eloquently put it, and write you the note. So I forgive you, and I hope that we can put it behind us. Because I think you are actually really likable. Besides I could have seriously hurt you that morning.’ She said, slowly bringing her hand up to touch the red welt on Jane’s neck. When she touched it Jane shuddered and Maura immediately retracted her hand.

‘Sorry. Does it still hurt? Because maybe you should see a doctor.’

‘No it’s fine. I haven’t felt it at all. You just surprised me, is all.’ They were both quiet for a while after that, only to start speaking again at the same time.

‘So do you want to be friends?’

‘Do you want me to come to your match?’

They laughed again. Jane being the first to recover.

‘So what did you say?’

Maura blushed. ‘I asked if you wanted to be my friend. What did you say?’

‘I asked if you wanted me to come to your fencing match this weekend. And yeah, I already told you I liked you. And you told me you liked me. So being friends seems like a good idea.’

‘If you put it that way…’ Maura added, a playful smile on her face.’

‘Maura!’ Jane said, faux shocked.

‘But to come back on your point, I would really like it if you came to our fencing match.’

Jane let out a relieved sigh. ‘It might be a little tight with my hockey game but I’ll try my hardest to be there on time. Every team should have at least one supporter.’

‘That would be nice.’ Maura sighed happily. ‘Was that everything you wanted to talk about?’

‘Yes. No. Yes.’ Jane muttered.

‘Those answers contradict each other. So yes or no?’

‘Well, I kind of wanted to ask you, but it is totally okay if you say no, if you might want to give me your number, so I can call you instead of sneaking in on your trainings.’ Jane said quickly. She didn’t dare meet Maura’s eyes, so she just stared at the ground.

‘Do you have your phone on you?’ Maura asked, after what seemed like an eternity of silence. But was actually less than a second.

‘Uhm, yes, it’s right here.’ Jane said as she rummaged through her pockets. Finally pulling her phone out of her jacket pocket. She unlocked it and handed it to Maura, who quickly added her name and number to Jane’s contact list.

‘There you go.’ She said, handing Jane the phone back with a flourish. ‘I would like your number too, but my phone is in my bag in the changing rooms, so you’ll just have to text me. But I have to go now. I still have to put away the equipment and I need to do an assignment for class tomorrow. But it was nice to put everything that happened yesterday behind us.’ She stood up, offering Jane her hand to pull her up.

Jane accepted the blonde’s hand, holding it a little longer than was necessary to stand up. Jane looked from their intertwined hands to Maura’s face, and back to their hands again. Until she finally pulled back, releasing her hand from Maura’s.

‘So I’ll text you.’ Jane said softly, remembering how nice Maura’s hand had felt in her own.

‘I look forward to it.’ Maura said with a smile, as she walked down the bleachers to put her equipment away.

Before she left the gymnasium she turned around, looking at Jane who was still standing rooted in the same spot. She smiled and gave Jane a little wave, and then the door closed behind her, reminding Jane that she was still standing in the same spot, and probably looked like an idiot for it.

Once Sarah had confirmed that she did indeed gotten Maura’s number and let her back into their room. Jane once again fell down on her bed. But this time with a happy smile on her face. She pulled out her phone and started her text to Maura.

_I wanted to tell you something else too. You look pretty badass holding a sword. –J._

A few minutes later, when she got Maura’s one word reply, she smiled and closed her eyes. Thinking about how glad she was that Maura had forgiven her and that they were actually talking.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So any ideas as to what the word was?   
> I think it should be pretty obvious by now. But then again, I write this story.


End file.
